A brake on breaks: ‘No smoking or drinking tea on office premises’

G-B minister issues guidelines to staff on his first day at office

GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan Minister for Works Dr Muhammad Iqbal has instructed his staff to work efficiently during duty hours and not waste their time smoking cigarettes and drinking tea.

During a briefing at his first day at his office in Gilgit on Wednesday after he was appointed on July 7, the minister laid down a series of guidelines to direct staff members to perform their duties effectively.

“The officers must not spend hours socialising with their friends at work,” he said. “Instead they should utilise their time to resolve the problems faced by the general public.”



“From now onwards tea will not be served in the office and smoking will not be allowed either,” he added.

During the briefing, Iqbal was informed about the performance of the public works department – a body which was considered the hub of corruption during the previous government.

The minister also gave strict instructions to staff members to shun corrupt practices.

“No form of corruption will be tolerated,” he said. “Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz won the elections in Gilgit-Baltistan because it wants to root out corruption. We want to bring about a positive change in the lives of the people during our tenure.”

According to the minister, corruption during the previous government’s tenure ruined all major departments and PML-N does not want to repeat the same mistake.

Budget approval

Moreover, G-B Governor Barjees Tahir has approved the budget for the fiscal year 2015-16 that was passed in the G-B Legislative Assembly (GBLA) recently. The approval of the budget by the governor is a formality and prerequisite before the money is released.

Jaglot-Skardu Road

GBLA Speaker Fida Nashad has called for the approval of funds for the widening of Jaglot-Skardu Road.

The speaker’s statement came a day after at least six people died in various accidents on the road. “The road has become dangerous for travel so the government must approve the blueprint,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2015.